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Henry Winkler In Detroit To Support Stroke Research

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 06: Actor Henry Winkler arrives at the premiere of "The Zookeeper" at the Regency Village Theatre on July 6, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)Henry Winkler Michael Buckner/Getty Images

DETROIT (WWJ) – You may know him best as “The Fonz” from TV’s Happy Days, but actor Henry Winkler visited Detroit Friday to take on a serious role — spokesman for the National Stroke Association.

Talking to WWJ Newsradio 950’s Greg Bowman, Winkler said great advances have been made over the years.

“I met a gentleman last week in Winston-Salem and he said, you know, now that my arm is releasd back to my side, my finger nails no longer grow into my palm … I have confidence for the first time in two years,” said Winkler.

Winkler’s mother had a stroke in 1989.

“She had upper limb spesticity, and what happens is the secondary muscles in the arm freeze up and don’t let go and there was not much that could have been done about it,” said Winkler.

“Then about a year ago they found this new use of theraputic Botox,” he said.

Greg spoke with Winkler about stroke research, a little about his life as “The Fonz,” and what else he’s been up to:

Henry Winkler Interview

Winkler was in Detroit taking part in the Brain Injury Association of Michigan Annual Conference.

If he really wanted to help stroke research he would tell the NSA to actually put survivors on the board and get them involved in creating a strategy for the next 25 years. The NSA is a complete joke to survivors, there is no reason to talk to them. Their response to every question is: ‘ That is a medical question and we defer to our medical partners to provide answers’. What a copout